In Japanese Application No. H7-171683, one example of a stud welding apparatus is described comprising a feeder for accommodating a plurality of rod-shaped studs having a welding part at one end and feeding one stud at a time, with the welding part head first, from an outlet thereof and a welding gun to which is connected a feeder pipe extending from the outlet of the feeder to receive a stud fed from the feeder, holding that stud at its tip with the welding part head first, and welding the welding part to a workpiece. This stud welding apparatus is provided with two escapes in the feeder, that is, with a stud queuing device so that stud feeding is speeded up.
In the stud welding apparatus cited in Japanese Application No. H7-171683 and in other conventional stud welding apparatuses, when feeding studs, it is necessary that the studs be at least of a predetermined length so they will not tumble in the feeder pipe or in the stud path of the welding gun. When the studs are short and tumble in the feeder pipe or welding gun stud path, the operation of sending studs in a suitable posture is hindered, and there is a danger of jamming inside the feeder pipe or welding gun stud path.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a stud welding apparatus by which, even when the studs are short enough to tumble inside the feeder pipe or welding gun stud path, studs can be sent in a suitable posture, and the danger of jamming inside the feeder pipe or welding gun stud path is eliminated.